


ours, always

by sonlali



Series: Fics from Season Six [10]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Episode: s06e09 Rebound, Fluff, M/M, Pouty Patrick, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23070340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonlali/pseuds/sonlali
Summary: patrick really loves rose apothecary and doesn't understand why anyone wouldn't feel the same way.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: Fics from Season Six [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621702
Comments: 36
Kudos: 245





	ours, always

**Author's Note:**

> light spoilers for s06e09: rebound

David likes their nighttime routine. He likes the time after dinner when he and Patrick lie side by side in bed reading their respective books. They typically read in comfortable silence, but sometimes they’ll stop to discuss their books. David likes the domesticity and quiet intimacy of this time together. He likes how he and Patrick can exist in relative silence. He likes…

“Hmph!” Patrick huffs loudly for the third time in as many minutes and shuts his book with a loud snap. He reaches for his laptop next to the bed and opens it instead. David glances over surreptitiously to try to gauge the situation. 

Patrick has been a bit huffy all evening, and David has been debating whether he should poke the hornet’s nest or just let it lie until tomorrow. Sometimes Patrick gets like this — restless and irritated with his sweet button face bunched up in a pout. David used to worry that he had done something wrong, that Patrick was mad at him, but he’s learned with time that sometimes Patrick needs to talk, but other times it’s best to just let him sulk for a while. Typically Patrick will wake up the next morning feeling much better, his mind having worked through whatever has been needling him. 

The tension in David's novel between the protagonist and her fiancé is building, so he decides to return to his book and check in with Patrick before they go to sleep. The protagonist has just discovered that the man she is set to marry is not telling her something. David eagerly turns to the next page, seeking out a resolution for the protagonist he's grown to love. She confronts her fiancé and…

Patrick sighs loudly and his fingers move across the keyboard with far more force than could ever be necessary. David peers over again and sees that Patrick has a spreadsheet open, which means he must be in a tizzy over profit margins or something boring and important like that. They typically have a rule about no work this late in the evening, but David will allow Patrick 15 more minutes before gently prying the laptop away. Maybe if Patrick looks over his little spreadsheets for a few minutes, his brain will stop hyperfocusing on his anxieties for the night. 

David becomes absorbed in his book again and tunes out Patrick’s sighing for several minutes. This chapter is coming to a close, and David is on the edge of his seat when suddenly Patrick elbows him in the chest. David turns to face Patrick who is shifting to bring his laptop as close to his face as he can manage, staring intently with his nose practically against the screen. 

“Um, ow!” David exclaims, but Patrick just mutters a distracted _sorry_ and continues glaring at the laptop screen, a deep furrow between his eyebrows. David can’t imagine what could possibly hold so much interest on the screen, unless Patrick has opened their sex spreadsheet. David is always willing to overlook the “no spreadsheets in bed” rule for the sex spreadsheet. He peers over Patrick’s shoulder and sees a disappointing lack of sex acts and toys. 

Patrick grumbles something under his breath and David carefully places his bookmark in the book to mark his spot. The bookmark had been a second monthiversary gift from Patrick, and David smiles fondly at the memory as he sets the book to the side. 

“Okay, honey, let’s talk about whatever is bothering you before you huff and puff and blow this whole apartment down.” David lays a hand on Patrick’s forearm and pats softly.

“What’s wrong with our store?” Patrick bursts out aggressively. 

“Um…” David rears back slightly in surprise and feels his face twisting in confusion. “Too many tasteless people coming in and getting their sticky fingers all over our merchandise?” 

“Exactly!” Patrick shouts, and David blinks in confusion at this unexpected assent.

“Great, uh, glad we’re in agreement then…” 

“Huh?” Patrick turns to face David finally. “No, David, what I’m saying is maybe that’s what our problem is. Our store isn’t catering to the interests of our customer base, so they aren’t compelled to shop there.”

“Is… that what I said?” David raises his eyebrows. “Patrick, what’s this about?”

“What’s wrong with our store?!” Patrick repeats.

“Nothing! I love our store. Don’t you?”

“Of course I do, but why doesn’t Jocelyn?” Patrick’s eyes are wide and slightly crazed. 

“Ohh, is that still bothering you?” David gently shuts Patrick’s laptop and pushes it from his lap, taking one of Patrick’s hands and squeezing lightly. “We didn’t even want her working at our store in the first place, so it’s really not a loss.”

“David, _you_ didn’t want Jocelyn working at the shop. _I_ was open to the possibility.”

“Mkay, and we opened that possibility and then closed it back up when she was no longer interested, so what’s the problem?” David asks.

“The problem is — why doesn’t Jocelyn want to work at our store? What’s wrong with our store?”

“There’s nothing wrong with our store! Stop saying there’s something wrong with our store!” David throws his hands up in the air with frustration. 

“But if Jocelyn doesn’t like it, maybe there’s other people that feel the same way! The store _did_ have a lot more traffic and sales with Jocelyn working today. Maybe we aren’t making our customers feel welcome.” Patrick rubs at the back of his neck and chews his lower lip. 

“Our customers are fine!” David shouts. He takes a deep, steadying breath and speaks again in a calmer tone. “It’s perfectly normal for traffic to ebb and flow — you’ve said it yourself. And we do great with online sales and on days we hold events and crafts. Our profits are solid.”

Patrick raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“I _do_ actually look at your little spreadsheets and listen during our weekly meetings, Patrick. You may be the numbers guy, but I understand enough to know we’re doing well.”

Patrick smiles, his face pinkening slightly. “I like when you talk to me about our finances, David.”

“Mkay, we can explore _that_ more in a minute.” David shimmies slightly. “But first can you please explain to me why this Jocelyn thing is bothering you so much? I mean, did you see her sweater?! We don’t want _that_ in our store! Or the bell! My god, I’d prefer if our sales actually were declining.”

“I just… I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to work in our store. She said it wouldn’t be fulfilling for her, but I don’t… Our store has brought me _everything_.” Patrick frowns down at his lap before raising his eyes to look at David through his eyelashes, his expression almost shy. “Building that store from the ground up, watching you create this beautiful space, spending every day with you, surrounded by all our hard work… It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in my life. It’s the _best_ thing.”

“Oh, honey.” David wraps his arms around Patrick, pulling him to his chest. Patrick presses a kiss to his favorite spot on David’s neck and exhales heavily as if he has been holding his breath all day and can now finally relax. David kisses the top of Patrick’s head and blinks back the tears pricking his eyes. “Patrick, our store means everything to me, too. I’m _so_ proud of what we’ve built together and love spending every day with you. It doesn’t matter to me if Jocelyn doesn’t feel fulfilled by our store — she still shops there. So.”

Patrick curls closer to David, burrowing into his chest and letting out a small hum. David bites back a grin at Patrick’s lack of subtlety when he wants David to hold him. David tugs Patrick onto his lap, which is clearly what Patrick is angling for. Sure enough, Patrick immediately relaxes against David’s chest and sighs contentedly. 

"I love our store so much because... it's where I fell in love. With you, with my career, with the future, with who I am. So when Jocelyn said that our store isn't for her, I just..." Patrick trails off with a shrug. David rubs a hand soothingly over Patrick's arm.

"But that's just it, Patrick. It _isn't_ for her. Our store is for _us_. As long as you and I are happy and fulfilled with our lives at Rose Apothecary, that's all that matters, right?"

"I love you so much, David." David can feel Patrick's lips turning upwards in a smile where they're pressed against his neck. "But I feel compelled to remind you again that selling products is literally the purpose of our store, so that definitely matters too."

"Okay, that's enough." David jabs his fingers in the ticklish spot under Patrick's ribcage in retaliation.

"Stop, stop, mercy!" Patrick giggles and squirms away from David's tickling.

“I love it when you’re the dramatic and unreasonable one.” David smiles smugly. Patrick tilts his head up to glare indignantly, but David cuts him off with a slow, sweet kiss. “Thank you for defending our store’s honor.”

“Always.” Patrick grins. 

“Yeah.” David’s heart flips in his chest. “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr [@landofsonlali](https://landofsonlali.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
